William Ware Theiss
in ]] William "Bill" Ware Theiss worked as Costume Designer for the entire run of Star Trek: The Original Series and for the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Theiss received credit as Costume Creator and Executive Consultant on the first season, winning an Emmy Award for the episode in 1988. In the following seasons he was credited as "Original Starfleet Uniforms/ Starfleet Uniforms Created By", in the process earning a second Emmy Award nomination for . His style can be summed up in the "Theiss Theory of Titillation" (self coined and first mentioned in The Making of Star Trek, p. 360), which stated "the degree to which a costume is considered sexy is directly dependent upon how accident-prone it appears to be." Theiss' distinctive clothing style for the "The Veldt", a mid-1960s one-act play from "The World of Ray Bradbury", caught the attention of DC Fontana, and introduced Theiss to Gene Roddenberry. Getting along on a personal level, Roddenberry, who was already interviewing candidates for the position, signed Theiss on as costume designer for his Star Trek pilot, and eventually the upcoming television show. http://www.startrekpropauthority.com/2008/05/bill-theiss-lost-interview-rare.html Other Work An attendee of the "Art Center College of Design" in Pasadena, California (which also counts Andrew Probert and Mark Stetson among their alumni, and like Probert following after his service in the United States Navy), Theiss' first job was a 's personal assistant, whose ex-wife, actress , Theiss has cited as having considerable influence on his career. (Star Trek: The Original Series Sketchbook) His first contribution to films was the 1960 movie Spartacus, albeit uncredited. Theiss continued to work in theater, film and television for more than thirty years. His work included among others the 1971 films Harold and Maude (featuring Ellen Geer and photographed by John A. Alonzo), as well as Pretty Maids All in a Row (produced by Roddenberry). During his career Theiss has earned "Academy Award for Costume Design" nominations for Bound for Glory (1976), Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979), and Heart Like a Wheel (1983). A private man, Theiss was never one for interviews. Theiss died in 1992, a victim of AIDS, at the age of 61. Theiss apparently has retained ownership over most of his creations, as a large number of his Original Series creations were sold off as his estate in the 1993 The William Ware Theiss Estate Auction, the proceeds of which he willed to "Project Angel Food", a LA-based non-profit agency that served hundreds of meals on a daily basis to those challenged by HIV-AIDS, cancer and other diseases. Emmy Awards * Emmy Award win as "Costume Designer" in the category "Outstanding Costume Design for a Series" for , sole winner * Emmy Award nomination as "Starfleet uniforms creator" in the category "Outstanding Costume Design for a Series" for , shared with Durinda Wood, costume designer Further reading *''The Making of Star Trek, 1968 *Star Trek: The Original Series Sketchbook, 1997 Related topic * Starfleet uniform External links * * * William Ware Theiss profile at StarTrek.com * 1988 Bill Theiss: The Lost Interview at [http://www.startrekpropauthority.com/ ''Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Authority] * at de:William Ware Theiss es:William Ware Theiss fr:William Ware Theiss Theiss, William Ware Theiss, William Ware